UF student dies two days after scooter accident

The University of Florida student who was injured Tuesday when a motorist struck his scooter died Thursday at Shands at the University of Florida, Gainesville police reported.

Michael R. Van Wagner, 22, died from his injuries shortly before 2 p.m., according to police.

Wagner had been hospitalized at Shands in critical condition following the Tuesday afternoon crash.

Police reported Monica Renee Toliver, 40, of Gainesville was heading east on University Avenue when she hit the back of a Gainesville Regional Utilities truck. She continued to drive east on the sidewalk before returning to the street.

About 100 yards west of NW 17th Street, her vehicle then struck Van Wagner, who was riding a scooter. Van Wagner was not wearing a helmet, police said.

The student and his vehicle were propelled into the back of a pickup that was stopped ahead at the intersection. The force of the impact pushed both the scooter and the pickup into the intersection.

No charges have been filed in the case while police continue to investigate both crashes, said police spokeswoman Officer Summer Hallett.

Toliver showed no obvious signs of impairment on the scene, according to police. She did submit to having blood drawn for analysis and was allowed to leave the crash site.

Van Wagner had been a student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UF and was listed as a junior, according to the university.